Counter Balance

To celebrate the unveiling of Stuttgart’s Tunnel 21, the long-awaited massive transport and urban development project for the reorganization of the Stuttgart railway junction, and to mark the 20th anniversary of the Produktionszentrum Tanz+Performance in 2021, my friend and choreographer Lior Lev, conductor/soprano Viktoriia Vitrenko and I conceived "Counter Balance". The production was initially planned as a unique collaboration between 12 dancers from the PZ and 12 musicians from the Stuttgart Philharmonic Orchestra. Developed during the strict Corona virus times, where social distancing and masks were part of everyday life, It later evolved into a chamber piece for 12 dancers, several live musicians and electronics. The new venue selected was the underground historic drinking water reservoir with its extensive underground catacombs above the city of Stuttgart. The sound and music were carefully designed to incorporate and utilize the pillared concrete halls and their extreme natural 15 second reverberation. The theme of water flows gently through the space, whether as a projection, sound, or the actual universal element, thus either supporting or hindering the ensemble's movement and performance across the space.

Premiered in October 2021 in the historic water reservoir in Stuttgart-Ost.

Supported by the BW Stiftung and TANZPAKT Stuttgart, sponsored by TANZPAKT Stadt-Land-Bund with funds from the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media, Wüstenrot Stiftung, BW Stiftung and the City of Stuttgart.